Green Thumbs -- Take a walk on the wild side

Thursday

May 3, 2007 at 12:01 AMMay 3, 2007 at 3:19 AM

Intermittent rainfall and momentary bursts of warmth and sunshine have combined to transform our winter-weary landscapes into a multi-colored portrait of ephemeral beauty. Each day, Mother Nature applies another brush stroke of color to her broad canvas of velvety green lawns and bright blue skies.

Suzanne Mahler

As our spring gardens come to life, Mother Nature’s creatures also begin to stir. A plump bunny appears among the waning blooms of my crocuses and after systematically shearing the delicate grassy foliage to the ground, much to my surprise, it settles in, lounging on its side to sunbathe in the warm afternoon sun. With eyes closed but ears twitching and turning to every sound, the shaggy cottontail basks for nearly half an hour before retreating into a nearby thicket.

The glorious springtime melodies of songbirds resonate through the landscape as they investigate vacant nesting boxes and shrubbery and begin to gather materials to create their amazing, intricate nests in which to raise their young. The piercing calls of flickers echo in the treetops and the drumming of woodpeckers can be heard from afar.

As I pass my little fish pond, I am delighted to see that my resident frogs have reappeared from the depths of the pool where they hibernated during the colder months. At first, they jump into the water each time I pass but as the day progresses they become accustomed to my presence and merely blink acknowledgement as I pause to admire a stunning patch of double bloodroots (Sanguinaria multiplex) that has started to bloom with dozens of pristine white blossoms that resemble miniature water lilies.

Throughout my shady borders, woodland wildflowers are beginning to join the floral fanfare. Yellow trout lilies have naturalized in a damp shady nook to form an expansive colony of glossy marbled leaves that form a perfect backdrop for their waxy sulfur-yellow blooms. Nearby, a carpet of wood anemones displays feathery foliage topped by tiny snow-white blossoms. The slender stems of variegated merrybells (Uvularia) surround a rocky outcropping intermingled with delicate pale orange sprays of barrenwort (Epimdedium).

These woodland treasures remind me of my childhood home in the Catskill Mountains. In recent years, when I wish to recapture these fond memories of my carefree youth, I journey to the Garden in the Woods in Framingham to wander the peaceful trails of the New England Wildflower Society’s botanical garden. Enchanting in all seasons, the month of May is perhaps the loveliest time of all to plan a visit to this 45 acre paradise and roam the rambling trails along woodland streams lined with delicate mosses and aristocratic ferns and forest floors carpeted with exquisite lady’s slippers. The flora of temperate North America is featured in extensive gardens and naturalistic plantings nestled in among rolling hills, babbling brooks and peaceful ponds. Many rare and endangered species are grown, studied and preserved.

A stroll through these charming woodland groves in May reveals large clumps of Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia) with nodding clusters of pink and blue blooms accompanied by sunny yellow Celandine poppies, delicately tinted, shell-pink azaleas and several species of trillium. Colonies of May Apples display their large, mottled, umbrella-like leaves atop 12-inch stems with a solitary, waxy white flower which will eventually produce an edible, lemon-like fruit. The fleeting blossoms of bloodroots, cradled by pale green, lobed leaves, appear here and there, interspersed with epimediums, whose airy sprays of cherry-red blooms dance upon wiry, arched stems amid broad carpets of handsome foliage.

Patches of Dutchman’s Breeches, a charming member of the bleeding heart family, display delicate sprays of white flowers that resemble tiny upside-down pantaloons. Equally enchanting are the unique flowers of the pink lady’s-slippers, familiar to every gardener, with their pouch-like blooms atop rigid stems rising from two large, oval, basal leaves.

A path leads from the woodland garden past a picturesque pond surrounded by moisture-loving plants. Innumerable clumps of irresistible, wooly fiddleheads will gradually unfurl to produce the broad, dramatic, stately fronds of the interrupted fern as the season progresses. Cheerful, brightly-colored marsh marigolds, often known as cowslips, dot the edge of the wet areas with mounds of shiny green, heart-shaped leaves and showy yellow blooms resembling buttercups.

Many of these woodland delights can be grown successfully in our backyard gardens if given the proper growing conditions including moisture-retentive, well-drained soils and dappled sunlight. A fluffy, woodsy soil, mildly acid, with high humus content, will suit many of these woodland treasures. Filtered sunlight through deciduous trees or early morning sun followed by afternoon shade tends to be ideal for many shade-loving plants to encourage flowering.

Be sure to visit our local conservation areas during these early days of spring to discover the beauty of our native wildflowers or visit Garden in the Woods (newfs.org) to partake of its magnificent floral display and educational programs.

Garden club plant sales abound this month. The North River Gardeners will hold their annual “Perennial and Flower Arrangement Sale” on Saturday, May 12, at the James Library in Norwell Center at 8:30 a.m. Perennials, herbs, flower arrangements, planted gift baskets, and homemade pies all perfect for Mothers Day will be for sale. While there are far too many others to list, be sure to check with your local organizations for dates, time, and location. These sales offer a wealth of hardy plants and proceeds are used to expand town beautification projects.

Suzanne Mahler is an avid gardener, photographer and lecturer who has been developing the 1.5-acre property surrounding her home in Hanover for more than 30 years. Her weekly gardening column 'Green Thumbs Up' has appeared in Community Newspapers for more than a decade. She is a member of two local garden clubs, past President of the New England Daylily Society, an overseer for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and is employed at two garden centers